Dive into the history of Paris with us through this Parisian ephemeris that highlights the greatest events that have taken place in the capital over the centuries.
The month of August is packed with major historical milestones, from the birth of a renowned photographer who adored the City of Light, to the Liberation of Paris, via an unforgettable solar eclipse and the theft of the Louvre’s most famous painting.
Set off to discover these incredibly true stories, sometimes poignant, sometimes astonishing.
What happened in August in Paris:
Éphéméride du 7 août à Paris: Passage en avion sous l'Arc de Triomphe de l'aviateur Charles Godefroy
On this day in Paris, August 7, 1919, French aviator Charles Godefroy pulled off the remarkable feat of flying his plane beneath the Arc de Triomphe, stunning a watching-by-standers crowd. [Read more]
Aug. 8 Ephemeris: The Saint-Germain-en-Laye Peace Edict
Signed on August 8, 1570, the Peace of Saint-Germain-en-Laye brings the Third French War of Religion to a close after two years of conflict, granting Protestants freedom of worship within defined territorial limits and four fortified cities of safety. Yet the accord proves short-lived, setting the stage for renewed Catholic–Protestant clashes culminating in the Saint Bartholomew's Night Massacre two years later. [Read more]
Éphéméride du 9 août : Le dernier tir d'obus de la Grosse Bertha sur Paris
On August 9, 1918, the Big Bertha fires a final shell at Paris, ending four months of relentless bombardment of the capital. A true instrument of psychological warfare, this German Army artillery piece boasted a range of 128 km — a record for its time. [Read more]
This Day in Paris History: The Sans-Culottes Storm the Tuileries Palace
On August 10, 1792, the Sans-Culottes stormed the Tuileries Palace in a bloody day that signaled the end of royal rule and the monarchy in France. [Read more]
On This Date in Paris: The 1999 Total Solar Eclipse
On August 11, 1999, in Paris and across France, the Moon completely obscured the Sun for just under three minutes. It was the last total solar eclipse of the 20th century, and also of the second millennium. [Read more]
On This Day in Paris: The Birth of the Gaumont Film Company
On August 12, 1895, Gaumont was founded at the initiative of Léon Gaumont, who could hardly have imagined that he was giving rise to the oldest film production company in history. [Read more]
On This Day in Paris, August 13: The Death of Eugène Delacroix on Rue de Furstemberg
On August 13, 1863, the painter Eugène Delacroix drew his last breath in his apartment on Rue de Furstemberg, in Paris's 6th arrondissement. [Read more]
On August 14 in Paris: The birth of Willy Ronis at the foot of Montmartre
On August 14, 1910, Willy Ronis was born at the foot of Montmartre. A lover of Paris, the photographer would spend his life tenderly and poetically capturing the everyday life of Parisians, favoring spontaneous shots over staged scenes. [Read more]
August 15 in Paris: The Laying of the Arc de Triomphe's Cornerstone
On August 15, 1806, the cornerstone of the Arc de Triomphe was laid, commissioned by Napoleon I to honor the French armies' victories. [Read more]
Éphéméride du 16 août à Paris : Guet-apens tendu à des résistants au Bois de Boulogne
On August 16, 1944, just days before Paris's Liberation, French resistance fighters were lured into an ambush in the Bois de Boulogne and were shot by SS officers and agents of the French Gestapo. [Read more]
On This Day: The Last Deportee Convoy and the Closure of Drancy Camp
On August 17, 1944, the final transport of deportees departs from Drancy bound for Buchenwald. The next day, 1,467 prisoners are liberated. [Read more]
August 18 in Paris: The wedding of Henry IV at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris
On August 18, 1572, Henry of Navarre, the future King Henry IV, wed Marguerite de Valois, known as Queen Margot, at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. An alliance presented as a reconciliation between Catholics and Protestants that would, nonetheless, culminate in the Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre. [Read more]
On This Day in Paris: The Liberation of Paris
From August 19 to 25, 1944, Paris finally shook off the German occupation. It stands as the triumph of the Allies and a fighting France, and cements General de Gaulle’s status as the head of a liberated and victorious France. [Read more]
August 21 in Paris: The Resistance's first deadly strike at the Barbès metro
On August 21, 1941, the Resistance carried out Paris's first deadly assault against the German occupying forces. Pierre Georges, who would become Colonel Fabien, fired two shots at a Kriegsmarine soldier at the Barbès-Rochechouart metro station. [Read more]
On This Day in Paris: The Mona Lisa Heist at the Louvre
On August 22, 1911, Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa vanished from the Louvre, right under the guards’ noses. The shock was universal. It would take two years before Mona Lisa’s smile reappeared under the sun of Florence. [Read more]
On This Day in Paris, August 24: The St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre
On August 24, 1572, roughly 4,000 Huguenots were brutally murdered in Paris during the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre—the high-water mark of the Wars of Religion between Catholics and Protestants. [Read more]
On This Day in Paris: De Gaulle's Speech at the Hôtel de Ville
On August 25, 1944, back in Paris, Charles de Gaulle delivers his famous address. [Read more]
On This Date in Paris: Opening of the First Railway Line Departing from Paris
On August 26, 1837, the first railway line departing from Paris was inaugurated. This new line, which also marked France's first line built exclusively for passenger transport, linked the 8th arrondissement of the capital with Gare du Pecq in the Yvelines. [Read more]
On this day in Paris: The Black Death
In August 1348, Paris faced a brutal plague that spared no one—women, children, nobles, or the poor. Over four grim years, the Black Death would wipe out about a third of the city’s population. [Read more]
On This Day in Paris: The Fatal Car Crash of Princess Diana in the Pont de l'Alma Tunnel
On August 31, 1997, after a frenzied chase through the streets of Paris with paparazzi, Princess Diana died in a tragic car crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel. [Read more]
